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I've sewn closet-fuls of cloths for Lil' Miss- literally!! Dresses, pants, leggings, skirts, tops, pajamas, jackets and Oh.So.Many.DRESSES!!!! I love sewing for Katy and I will continue to do so as long as she'll allow me. However, sewing for myself seems like the next likely step in my sewing journey.

I've been testing some new women's patterns and participating in some fun blog tours. One of those fun blog tours is the Pattern Revolution "Sew Yourself Some Love" Blog Tour. Meant to promote the beauty within all of us, Pattern Revolution dedicates the whole month of February to encouraging sewists everywhere to, "...take a little bit of time (to) sew something for yourself- even just one thing!" It also reminds sewists to, "...take care of yourself so that you can better care for all the others in your life."

I've sewn several Patterns for Pirates PDF sewing patterns. However, just as Lil' Miss loves her dresses, so do I! Dresses make for easy dressing- throw one on and you are instantly put-together. I wear a dress at least once a week. So, it only seemed natural to "Sew myself some love" with a dress pattern- the Patterns for PiratesBoundless dress, to be exact!

After reviewing the sizing chart, I sewed up an empire waist, 3/4 sleeve, dress-length, size medium Boundless dress with modifications. The cozy french terry was purchased locally at Hobby Lobby (on clearance-yay!).

My Patterns for PiratesBoundless dress modifications were as follows:
-I took length off of the skirt so that the dress would fit my petite frame. I wanted the dress to hit right at the knees.
-I also took about 1" off of the bodice. In hindsight, I probably should have taken another 1/2" off in order to get a more empire fit.
-Also, because I was using fabric from my stash, I did not have enough to fully line the bodice. Instead, I used bias tape to finish the neckline (flipped to the inside so that it's not visible from the outside).
-Fabric choice matters (as it does in any pattern). In this case, the french terry fabric that I used was not super stretchy. Therefore, that affected the fit slightly.

I love the ease and simplicity of the Patterns for PiratesBoundless dress. I enjoy the fact that the Boundless Dress includes two different waist options- at the waist and empire. I appreciate a pattern that includes several sleeve options and several hemlines- that way, I feel like I can make multiple dresses and none of them will be the same! The Patterns for PiratesBoundless dress was simple to sew and was a breeze to whiz through my serger.

The Boundless dress neckline is a bit lower than I typically wear (front and back bodice pieces are the same). So, next time I sew up a Boundless, I'll probably raise it a bit. However, paired with a scarf and a cozy cardi and I'm ready to go!

Another wardrobe staple that I wear almost daily in the cooler months is a warm, comfy cardi. I've been wanting to try out Canadian designer, Jalie Patterns, for some time, now. So, when I saw that Jalie Patterns has the Cocoon Cardigan... well, it just seemed like the perfect match!

-The Jalie PatternsCocoon Cardigan is sized for girl's 2- women size 22. That means that with just one pattern, I can make myself AND my daughter matching Cocoon Cardigans!
-The Jalie PatternsCocoon Cardigan is written in both French and English. (the designer behind Jalie is French Canadian. This makes the tutorial a bit cumbersome and a little confusing to follow, but it sure hits a wide market!).
-The Jalie PatternsCocoon Cardigan PDF sewing pattern includes a sizing chart, a pattern layout diagram and fabric requirement chart.
-The Jalie PatternsCocoon Cardigan PDF sewing pattern includes numbered step-by-step instructions with English on the left and French on the right. Shaded diagrams accompany the instructions.

After reviewing the sizing chart, I chose to sew up a size 8 Cocoon Cardigan. The gray sweater knit was purchased locally off the clearance table at Hobby Lobby (for less than $3/yard- score!).

While I sewed The Jalie PatternsCocoon Cardigan as instructed, I felt like it was REALLY long for my 5'-0" height. There is a shorten/lengthen line included in the pattern and I'll be sure to use that with my next Cocoon Cardigan that I sew up (and there WILL be a next time!). Also, while the Cocoon Cardigan is meant to be over-sized, I felt like the size 8 was a little too over-sized. Next time, I think I'll size down a bit, on top of shortening.

I love working with cozy sweater knits and I have been wanting to try out a cocoon cardigan pattern. The Jalie PatternsCocoon Cardigan was a great introduction! I love that there are no sleeves to set in but my most favorite part of the pattern is the fact that there are NO HEMS to sew!! Sleeves and front/bottom are all banded- that means just serge on your banding and you're good to go!! Yay! (Plus, it looks great worn over my Patterns for PiratesBoundless dress, don't you think? ;)

I want to say a special thanks to the brains behind Pattern Revolution for putting together the "Sew Yourself Some Love" blog tour. Thank you for coordinating patterns, posts, designers and bloggers. Most of all, thank you for inspiring, encouraging and creating! I truly enjoyed taking the time to sew myself some clothing that I will proudly wear! Thank you!